Release and holder for hair curlers



March 22, 1938. BRAME RELEASE AND HOLDER FOR HAIR CURLERS Filed June 24, 1955 i 1. N E L L A ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES ATET OFFICE Dalmo Sales Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Califor Application June 24, 1935, Serial No. 28,122

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a hair waving device, and particularly to a mechanism for, holding and releasing the tension on the spool or shaft on which the hair to be curled is wound.

An object of the invention is to provide a hair curling device wherein the hairis wound on a spool or shaft and thereby placed under tension, said spool or shaft having a mechanism therein for preventing the spool or shaft from rotating lo and thereby allowing the hair to unwind, means being provided to release the mechanism, and to thereby release the tension "on the wound hair, whereby the hair curling device may be quickly and easily removed.

I5 Other objects and advantages are to provide a release and holder for hair curlers that will be superior in point of simplicity, inexpensiveness of construction, positiveness of operation, and facility and convenience in use and general efficiency.

20 In this specification and the annexed drawing, the invention is illustrated in the form considered to be the best, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such form, because it may be embodied in other forms; and it is also to 5 be understood that in and by the claim following the description, it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

Referring to the drawing: Fig. l is a planview of a hair curler having a 30 holder and release thereon constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation of Fig. 1, showing the hair spool in free position.

Fig. 3 is an end View similar to Fig. 2, showing :33 the ratchet on the hair curler in engagement with the pawl.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the hair curler in the open position with the spool removed therefrom. In detail the construction illustrated in the I.) drawing comprises a conventional form of hair holder and curler consisting of a plate 8 having a pair of complementary base members I and 2 arranged on the under side thereof. The base members I and 2 are attached to the under side of the plate 8, the member 2 at one end thereof being pivotally connected to the plate 8, whereby the member 2 may be swung apart from the member I. At the other end of the plate 8 on the member I, I have provided a form of a clamp for locking the base member 2 in parallelism with the member I', said clamp consisting of a bar 5 pivoted at 6 to one side of the. plate 2, the other end of said bar having a cam I thereon adapted (5,5 to be frictionally engaged with the side of the base member I for clamping it in proper position relative to the base member I.

The faces 4- of the members I and 2 are provided with material or surfacing thereon capable of holding a strand of hair in a non-sliding posi- 5 tion.

Standards or brackets 9-9 are provided on the upper surface of the base member 8 at each of the opposite ends thereof, which standards project over and lie above the base member 2, when 0 it is locked in the closed position. Each standard 9 is provided with a vertically disposed slot I0 therein.

A spool or mandrel II on which the hair to be curled is wound, is adapted to be rotatably confined in guide slots IIl provided in the standards 99. The spool or mandrel I I, at one end thereof, is provided with a circular shaft I2, which shaft is rotatably journaled in the guide slot in one of the standards 9, said shaft having a fiat sided head I5 thereon to eifect manual rotation of the spool.

The opposite end of the spool II is provided with a ratchet I3 thereon, which is adapted to be engaged by the pointed end of a fixed pawl I4 mounted on the outer end of one of the brackets 9. Each of the guide slots III in the standards 99 are provided with a laterally disposed enlargement I6 at the base thereof, so that when the hair is tightly wound on the spool or mandrel, the tension of the hair on the spool or'mandrel would tend to draw the spool into the enlarged portion I6 of the slot. The tension on the hair thus will cause the ratchet I3 to be engaged with the pawl I4 and prevent the spool or mandrel from turning so as to loosen the tension of the hair.

In the operation of imparting a wave or curl to the hair, a strand of hair is clamped between the members I and 2 at a point adjacent the scalp, I

whereby the hair which projects through the holders I and 2 may be wound upon the spool or mandrel I I. In winding the hair on the spool or mandrel, the same is removed from the holder and the extreme ends of the hair are held on the a spool in some conventional manner, and the operator rotates the spool with the hair confined thereon toward the scalp until the entire strand has been wound thereon. As the spool, with the hair thereon, reaches the holder the operator places the same into the slots Ill on the opposite standards 9, and thereafter continues to rotate the spool by movement applied thereto, through the head I5 on the shaft I2, until such time as the wound hair has been placed under the desired degree of tension. It will be noted that the spool ll rotates about the bearings on the opposite ends thereof in the slots ID in the standards 9. The engagement of the ratchet I3 and pawl l4 permits the spool to be rotated in one direction to wind the hair on the spool but the spool may not move in the opposite direction until the ratchet thereon is released from engagement with the pawl. When the hair is tightly wound on the spool, it exerts a force directly upon the spool, which tends to pull the ratchet on the spool di rectly into contact with the pawl and as a result the spool is held immovable in the standards. The ratchet on the spool in relation to the pawl 14, is that of a one-way clutch.

Upon completion of the hair waving operation, or if for any other reason it should be desired to release the hair wound on the spool, the operator merely pressed outwardly on the spool to declutch or disconnect the ratchet I3 from the pawl, which action tends to force the spool outwardly a slight distance in the enlarged portion N5 of the slot [0, whereby the tension on the wound hair is immediately released, and the spool may be removed from the standards.

I have found that by embodying a release mechanism of the kind heretofore described, in a hair curler, that it is possible to release the curlers from the hair with absolutely no discornfiture to the patient. The usual type of hair curler is not provided with any means for releasing the tension on the hair curler, other than by opening up the members which clamp the hair adjacent the scalp, and then manipulating the holder into an inverted position so that the spool may be discharged or released therefrom. This procedure usually causes the patient a great deal of discomfort, and where the head is blocked out with a number of hair holders and curlers throughout the entire area thereof, it is exceedingly difiicult to release the hair from the curlers. With my release mechanism, tension on the hair can be released quickly and easily, and the hair curling apparatus can be removed from the head without hurting the patient in the slighest degree.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A holder and release for hair curlers comprising a base; end members at opposite ends of said base and projecting out from the face thereof, each end member having an open ended slot therein, one side wall of said slot being cut away to form a curved recess; a spool on which hair to be curled is wound, said spool having journals at opposite ends thereof, one of said journals being toothed and each of said journals being adapted at times to rest within the recess in the edges of said end members; and a fixed detent on one of said end members extending into the recess of said end member whereby said detent will engage the ratchet on the spool when the spool has hair wound thereon under tension, the tension of the wound hair on the spool causing the journals on said spool to be held in the recess in the end members and by engagement of the ratchet with the detent to hold the hair wound on the spool and to resist unwinding of the hair from the spool.

ALLEN J. BRAME. 

